George Reynolds tells the story of his military career, where each memory is as engrossing as the next. Following in his father’s footsteps, George enlisted in the army in 1937. Not long after, in 1939, he was off to India, where he had become both a stand out signaller and a skilled equestrian.   By 1941, his regiment found themselves embroiled in battle against the invading Japanese army. Troubling times followed; the Japanese succeeded in their occupation, George among the 80,000 taken as POW.   He was first put to work in a Singapore prison, where he detailed his starved but tanned condition, a result of outdoor work. After being shipped off to Taiwan in 1942, George recalls his torturous experience in a copper mine, where he faced the threat of beatings, malnutrition, and sickly skin, all at a level he had never seen before.  I’m sure you’ve gone through a roller coaster of emotions engaging with George’s story, but he closes on a powerful note. Following his liberation by the American Navy in 1945, George was plunged into a moral dilemma – how was he supposed to feel about the people who had hurt him?   To hate them, he says, was akin to a “cancer eating away at him”. At once, there and then, he decided to “forgive but not forget”. This ultimately underlines the hardiness and determination of a soldier, who, after seven long years away from home, was favoured to live to tell the tale. 

By the age of 14, Esther Hayes was approaching Grade 8 standard on the flute and piano. Three years in the band of the TA led her to pursue a full-time military musician career, and after completing basic training at ATR Winchester she spent her first year at Kneller Hall. Esther shares memories from her subsequent assignment to the Band of the Royal Corps of Signals, followed by a return to Kneller Hall for three more gruelling years of hard work to become a bandmaster. She went on to make history as the first female bandmaster of the Paras, and she talks about her experience of what was then a heavily male-dominated environment. After several years with the Paras, Esther returned to Kneller Hall, spending a couple of years in post as a Training Design Warrant Officer before joining the Household Cavalry and further developing her skills by learning to ride a horse whilst playing the flute. She goes on to talk about an operational role in Afghanistan, a stint in the Band of the Queen’s Division, and another return to Kneller Hall, this time to facilitate the training of the student bandmasters joining the ranks: a full-circle moment, but by no means the end of her incredible career.

Having grown up in Ireland during 'The Troubles', Marion joined the army to escape and begin life somewhere different. However soon after arriving at Guildford, she was injured in the bombing of the Horse and Groom pub in 1974. Marion recalls being aware that something was wrong but before she had time to react the bomb had exploded and she was left injured among the chaos. She describes how following this incident she was held back from completing her trade training and interrogated by army officers on suspicions of her being involved in the attack. In her interview she states that her treatment by the army during this time is something she held resentment towards for many years. She went on to complete her clerical training and was subsequently posted to Blackdown, Bicester, then Rheindahlen. In Germany an opportunity arose for Marion to become an army welfare assistant, where her role consisted of mostly dealing with war-affected and bereaved families. Although this position was extremely difficult, Marion found it rewarding but knew that it was soon time to leave. Reflecting on her time with the WRAC, Marion felt proud to be a veteran and values her connection to the female corps.